England and Manchester striker Marcus Rashford has exerted pressure on the UK government to reverse their decision to cancel the country’s free school meals voucher system.
In a two-page open letter, the striker urged the UK MPs to “make protecting the lives of some of our most vulnerable a top priority.”
The 22-year-old has become a powerful advocate in combating child poverty. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Rashford, in collaboration with FareShare, a charity organisation, supplied three million food packages to those most in need.
He has vowed to “keep fighting” so that no kid in the United Kingdom “has to worry about where their next meal is coming from.”
Rashford points out that he could have been included in those type of figures while growing up but “due to the selfless actions of my mum, my family, my neighbours, and my coaches, the only stats I’m associated with are goals, appearances and caps. I would be doing myself, my family and my community an injustice if I didn’t stand here today with my voice and my platform and ask you for help.”
The striker has encouraged the public to get in touch with their local MPs by tagging them on Twitter and using #maketheUturn to force the government into a reversal of the policy.
Read his open letter below.
